Turbine having a wheel rotary about a horizontal axis with said axis being rotary about a vertical axis

ABSTRACT

A generator in which a fluid is conducted to the center of a turbine wheel and radially outwardly to impinge upon the turbine vanes and cause the turbine wheel to turn about a horizontal axis and the wheel is journaled to a support member which in turn rotates about a vertical axis.

United States Patent Inventor Alban Maillot Salute-Marie de Kent, NouveauBrunswiclt,

Canada Appl. No. 795,957

Filed Feb. 3, 1969 Patented June 22, 1971 Priority Jan. 15, 1969 Canada 040,251

TURBINE HAVING A WHEEL ROTARY ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS WITH SAID AXIS BEING ROTARY ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 290/52, 290/54, 415/202, 415/188, 415/70 Int. Cl F0111 15/10 Field of Search 290/43, 44, 52, 53, 54; 415/202, 206,188, 70

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Schulte 415/70 Waggoner 415/70 Pond 415/70 X Moody 290/52 Warner 415/188 X Lehmann 415/188X Guimbal 290/52 l-Iaddad et a1 290/52 Primary Examiner-G. R. Simmons Attorney-Alan Swabey ABSTRACT: A generator in which a fluid is conducted to the center of a turbine wheel and radially outwardly to impinge upon the turbine vanes and cause the turbine wheel to turn about a horizontal axis and the wheel is joumaled to a support member which in turn rotates about a vertical axis.

PATENTEUJUNZZISH 3586867 I sum 1 or 2 INVENTOR Albun MAILLET @rM/iu? PATENTEUJUNZZISYI 3586867 sum 2 OF 2 INVII/VTUR Albcm MAILLET @wJu TURBINE HAVING A WHEEL ROTARY ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS WITI'I SAID AXIS BEING ROTARY ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS BACKGROUND OF INVENTION l. Field of Invention The present invention relates to prime movers and particularly to a turbine machine used for converting a natural source of energy into mechanical energy.

2. Description of Prior Art Heretofore, in the art of turbines, particularly when used in an engine, it has been known to apply a force in the form of a fluid under pressure to vanes at the periphery of a turbine wheel. The turbine wheel is normally fixed to a shaft and as the turbine wheel turns, the shaft turns in order to do work. For instance, in a water turbine, water under pressure is directed to the vanes at the periphery of a turbine wheel which is directly coupled to the rotor in an electrical generator through a shaft. Such equipment requires considerable space, i.e. the turbine must be separate from the generator.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is an aim of the present invention to provide a novel turbine arrangement which can be compact and can be adapted to uses not before possible with conventional turbines.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a turbine wheel suitably adapted to transmit mechanical energy, the turbine wheel comprising a plurality of vanes, the vanes each including a leading edge spaced from the center of the wheel and a trailing edge towards the periphery of the wheel, a source of fluid under pressure, means for directing said fluid under pressure radially outwardly towards the leading edge of the turbine wheel whereby saidfluid impinges on said vanes.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Having thus generally described the nature of the invention, particular reference will be made to the accompanying drawings showing by way of illustration, preferred embodiments thereof, and in which:

FIG. I is a top plan view partly in section of one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical diametrical cross section taken through the embodiment shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross section taken along line 3-3;

FIG. 4 is a schematic top plan view of a further embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring first to FIGS. I to 3, the embodiments shown therein are directed to a generator. The generator is indicated generally by the numeral 10. The generator includes a frame 12, and a housing 14. The housing 14 is mounted to the frame 12.

A support block I6 is located centrally and below the housing and supports bearings 18. A stator having a shaft 28 is fixedly mounted to the support block 16. Surrounding the stator 20 is the rotor casing 22 having a rotor winding 24 of cylindrical configuration.

Mounted to the free end of the stator shaft 28- are ball bearings 30 about which are mounted bearing frame members 26. Frame 26 is connected to the rotor casing 22 and mounts fixed bearing shaft 32.

The parts which are duplicated in the drawings will be described with reference to only one of the turbine wheel assemblies, although similar parts in the other turbine wheel assembly will be raised by the subscript 4.

Wheel 34 is journaled to the bearing shaft 32. Turbine wheel 34 includes curved vanes 36 as best seen in FIG. 3.

About the periphery of the turbine wheel 34 are gear teeth 38 which are adapted to travel in a circular path defined by the gear track 40.

An inverted Y-shaped conduit 42 is provided in the housing and is fixed at each end to the bearing frame 26. Discharge opening 43 of the conduit 42 is directed in a vertically downward direction towards the leading edges of the vanes 36 as shown in FIG. 3. The conduit 42 is coupled to a main delivery conduit 48 by means of a bearing coupling allowing the inverted Y-shaped delivery conduit 42 to rotate about he axis of the main conduit 48.

It has also been contemplated to use two pairs of wheels 34, rather than one pair. This could double the output in a generator of substantially the same dimensions. 7

In operation, water under pressure is forced down the main conduit 48 into the conduit 42 at which point it is diverted to either the turbine wheel 34 or 34a. As the water rushes out the discharge nozzle 43 of the conduit 42, it, impinges upon the curved vanes 36, forcing the wheel to rotate in a counterclockwise direction'as shown in FIG. 3. Of course, wheel 34a is reversed and as the water comes out of the discharge 43a, the wheel rotates in a clockwise direction. This forces the wheel to travel on the track 40 by means of the gear teeth 38 on the wheel 36. Since the rotor casings 22 are fixed to the bearing frame 26 which also rotates with the wheels 34 and 34a, a generator relationship between the rotor windings and the stator windings isr'produced, therefore providing electricity.

In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a turbine wheel is shown in an embodiment on a boat 60. There is provided a water conduit 62 from a pumped water source which is directed to the center of the turbine wheel 64. Water discharging from the conduit 62 of the inner lead-ing edges of the vanes on the turbine wheel 64 causes the turbine wheel 64 to. rotate, thus directly turning coupled shaft 66 which turns the propeller 72 through the intermediary of gears 68 and 70.

Many other embodiments can be devised using the type of turbine wheel described above in which the fluid under pressure is fed radially outwards to the leading edges of the vanes in which the periphery of the turbine wheel can either have ground engaging surfaces for use in a land vehicle, for instance, where the turbine wheel can remain fixed with the turbine wheel mounted fixedly and eccentrically to a shaft. The force of the water on the fixed vanes of the fixed turbine wheel will cause the shaft on which it is mounted to rotate.

Iclaim:

1. A prime mover, including a turbine wheel suitably adapted to transmit mechanical energy, a turbine wheel comprising a plurality of vanes, the turbine wheel being mounted on a support member for rotation about a horizontal axis taken through the support member, the vanes each including a leading edge spaced from the center of the wheel and a trailing edge towards the periphery of the wheel, a source of fluid under pressure mounted to the support member, means for directing said fluid under pressure radially outwardly towards the leading edge of the turbine vanes whereby said fluid impinges on the vanes for rotating the turbine wheel about the horizontal axis, the support member being mounted for rotation about a vertical axis intersecting the horizontal axis, said fluid being directed in such a way that said support member is also caused to rotate about the vertical axis.

2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein gear teeth are provided on the periphery of the turbine wheel and are adapted to engage fixed transmission means thereby causing the support member to rotate about the vertical axis.

3. A prime mover, as defined in claim 1, wherein said turbine wheel includes gear teeth means about the periphery of the turbine wheel, said turbine wheel located within a housing, a gear track provided within said housing and adapted to receive the gear teeth of said turbine wheel, said turbine wheel being adapted for movement within the housing defined by said gear track on said housing, causing said support member to rotate about the vertical axis, whereby when fluid under 5. A prime mover, as defined in claim 4, wherein a pair of opposed turbine wheels are provided in the housing for movement along an annular gear track and said hollow rotor is subtended between said turbine wheels.

6. A prime mover, as defined in claim 5, wherein the means directing the fluid under pressure to the vanes includes a Y- shaped delivery conduit with delivery ends at the center of l each turbine wheel and adapted to move with the turbine wheels. 

1. A prime mover, including a turbine wheel suitably adapted to transmit mechanical energy, a turbine wheel comprising a plurality of vanes, the turbine wheel being mounted on a support member for rotation about a horizontal axis taken through the support member, the vanes each including a leading edge spaced from the center of the wheel and a trailing edge towards the periphery of the wheel, a source of fluid under pressure mounted to the support member, means for directing said fluid under pressure radially outwardly towards the leading edge of the turbine vanes whereby said fluid impinges on the vanes for rotating the turbine wheel about the horizontal axis, the support member being mounted for rotation about a vertical axis intersecting the horizontal axis, said fluid being directed in such a way that said support member is also caused to rotate about the vertical axis.
 2. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein gear teeth are provided on the periphery of the Turbine wheel and are adapted to engage fixed transmission means thereby causing the support member to rotate about the vertical axis.
 3. A prime mover, as defined in claim 1, wherein said turbine wheel includes gear teeth means about the periphery of the turbine wheel, said turbine wheel located within a housing, a gear track provided within said housing and adapted to receive the gear teeth of said turbine wheel, said turbine wheel being adapted for movement within the housing defined by said gear track on said housing, causing said support member to rotate about the vertical axis, whereby when fluid under pressure impinges on the vanes of said turbine wheel, the wheel will be caused to rotate and to travel along the path defined by said gear track means in said housing.
 4. A prime mover, as defined in claim 3, wherein a hollow generator rotor is associated with said turbine wheel for travelling movement in said housing therewith and a stator is provided concentric of the path of movement of said turbine wheel and said hollow rotor so that electricity will be generated upon movement of said turbine wheel and rotor about said stator.
 5. A prime mover, as defined in claim 4, wherein a pair of opposed turbine wheels are provided in the housing for movement along an annular gear track and said hollow rotor is subtended between said turbine wheels.
 6. A prime mover, as defined in claim 5, wherein the means directing the fluid under pressure to the vanes includes a Y-shaped delivery conduit with delivery ends at the center of each turbine wheel and adapted to move with the turbine wheels. 